For Inset Topics
For Inset Topics
For Inset Topics
Supportive Environments
Presenter’s Scripts
Learner Objectives
Participants will be able to describe the importance of building relationships with children, families,
and colleagues.
Participants will be able to describe the relationship between children’s social emotional
development and challenging behaviors.
Participants will be able to describe how challenging behavior serves a function for children.
Participants will be able to describe the relationship between environmental variables, children’s
challenging behaviors, and social emotional development.
Participants will be able to identify strategies that can be used to (1) build positive relationships with
children, families, and colleagues; (2) design environments, schedules, and routines; (3) structure
transitions; (4) help children learn rules and routines; and (5) plan activities that promote
engagement.
Participants will be able to use descriptive acknowledgment and encouragement to support
children’s positive social behaviors.
Participants will evaluate their work with children related to building relationships and the structure
and design of their environment. They will generate strategies for addressing areas where they
need to make changes or improvements.
Suggested Agenda
I. Introduction and Logistics 20 min.
II. Examining Our Attitudes about Challenging Behaviors 20 min.
III. Understanding the Relationship between Challenging Behavior and Social Emotional Development
10 min.
IV. Creating Environments in which Children Can Be Successful: The Pyramid 5 min.
V. Building Positive Relationships 40 min.
VI. Designing the Physical Environment 30 min.
VII. Schedules, Routines, and Transitions 50 min.
VIII. Planning Activities that Promote Engagement; Large and Small Group Time 40 min.
IX. Giving Directions 10 min.
X. Teaching Children Classroom Rules 15 min.
XI. Ongoing Monitoring and Positive Attention 15 min.
XII. Using Positive Feedback and Encouragement 30 min.
XIII. Pulling It All Together: Summary and Completion of Action Plan 45 min.
Materials Needed
Agenda
Video Clips:
Handouts:
PowerPoint
Facilitator’s Guide 1.1 Adult:Child 1.1 Participants’
Chart paper or White Conversations PowerPoint Slides
Board and Markers 1.2 Preparing for the 1.2 Hot Button Activity
Transition to Centers 1.3 Reframing Activity
1.4 Inventory of Practices
1.3 Providing Individualized 1.5 Building Relationships with
Transition Cues to Gabby Young Children
1.SE Session 1.4 Circle Time 1.6 Positive Attention Data
Evaluation Form 1.5 Stop/Go Teaching Rules Collection Sheet
1.6 Children Demonstrating 1.7 List of Starters for Positive
Classroom Rules Feedback Comments
1.7 Positive Attention during 1.8 Sample Certificate
Large Group Activity
1. Begin with an introduction of all speakers, a brief overview of who you are, where you are from,
and information about your background that is relevant to this training event. (Show Slide 1.)
2. Have the participants introduce themselves to each other and provide you with a brief overview of
who they are. Have each table of participants introduce themselves to each other and then report
back to the whole group what roles the participants at their table represent (e.g., teachers,
assistants, therapists, administrators, family members, trainers) or another introductory strategy
depending on the size of the group and the time available.
3. Review what you plan to accomplish for the day (Slide 2), and the learner objectives (Slide 3).
4. Distribute all handouts including PowerPoint slides, resources, and the Inventory of Practices.
5. Take care of logistical issues (e.g., breaks, bathrooms, lunch plans).
6. Encourage participants to ask questions throughout or to post them in a specially marked place.
2. Ask participants to think of children who they have worked with who have these types of
behaviors.
a. Have participants complete the second row of circles by listing feeling words (how
they felt when they were working with that child or how they felt when people were
sharing their list of behaviors that“pushed their buttons”).
b. As group members share their ideas, write them on the flip chart paper or a blank
overhead. They will most likely say things like: “It makes me frustrated.” “I feel like I
don’t know what I am doing.” “It makes me mad.” “I feel like a failure.” “It makes me
want to get another job.”
c. Ask participants to write responses to this third question on the third row of circles
on their paper: How do these feelings affect your interactions with children when
they engage in these behaviors? Participants might say they avoid children when
they act like this or that adults interact in a not-sopleasant way after children
engage in these behaviors, etc. Make the point that it is difficult to be effective with
children when you are feeling this way. It is important to plan a strategy for dealing
with these situations.
d. Let’s talk about how we can use this emotional signal or “feeling” as a positive
thing—it tells you that you need to think of positive ways to deal with the situation
(e.g., focusing on the positive, asking for help, reframing).
e. Walk through Slides 5 and 6 (Managing Personal Stress: Thought Control)
reading over the upsetting thoughts and the calming thoughts. Talk about the fact
that if we reframe our thoughts we can engage in more positive interactions with
children and use these as opportunities for growth.
c. Have participants take each of their “hot buttons,” reread it, and consider how they can
reframe the behavior to interact with the child to build a positive relationship with him or
her. For example, one might consider: “If Delroy starts to whine when he can’t get his
shoes on or off, or his bookbag stored in his cubby, I will use these interactions as
opportunities to teach him how to ask for assistance in a more appropriate way.”
d. Use Handout 1.3 (Reframing Activity)—(Slide 7) Review the four examples listed then
have individuals list two to three of their own and restate the problems to make them more
manageable. Do not generate solutions at this time.
e. Make the point that there are individual and culturally based beliefs that affect our attitudes
about challenging behavior. Most children don’t come to school knowing what teachers
expect them to do. This could be due to the child’s lack of experience in group care
settings or to differences in families’ and teachers’ expectations of children’s behavior.
Studies show that parents and teachers sometimes have differences in their expectations
about children’s behavior, which may influence children’s understanding about
expectations in the classroom.
Culturally based beliefs affect our attitudes toward behavior (e.g., what skills we expect
children to engage in independently at certain ages, how we expect children to interact with
adults, etc.). Show Slides 8 and 9 on developmental milestones that are the findings from
research studies (cited on the slides).
f. Talk about how important it is to use a team approach when addressing social emotional
competence and challenging behaviors. It is especially important in terms of providing
support to the teachers and other adults who work with children with challenging behavior
every day.
Introduce the video as follows: This video shows one teacher engaged in conversation with a
child as they play. To play video, double click on the photographs on the slide. To advance
to the next slide, click the down arrow on your keypad.
Note to Presenter: the videos in these modules are designed to provide examples that can
be used to describe, reflect, and refine teachers’ practices. They are not intended to be the
best way, the only way, or the right way to do something.
What things does the teacher do to build relationships with children? (Slide 18)
Participants might comment on how the teacher talked about things the little girl
does at the afterschool program and at home, participated in play as a partner, sat at
the children’s level, was a responsive listener, etc.
Read the Uri Bronfenbrenner quote (Slide 19).
Introduce the Connected/Disconnected Activity (Slide 20).
2. Use the graphic for connected/disconnected. Show the slide and write responses on chart
paper. Ask the group to think about when teachers are disconnected from children...What
would they see in the classroom? What would it look like? Write the ideas on chart paper.
Focus on the graphic for connected... What does it look like when teachers have good
connections with children? What do you see? What is happening? Write the ideas on chart
paper. Make the point that this is what we are seeking to put in place to build relationships
with children.
We should also examine the relationships between adults (including family members) on the
team (Slide 21). What does it look like if adults are disconnected in a classroom or in a
program? Write ideas on chart paper. What about when adults work together well and are
really connected. How can you tell?
3. Then move into figuring out what we should do to build these relationships (Slide 22). How
do we build relationships with children? Present the metaphor, adopted from the work of
Carolyn Webster-Stratton, of a “piggy bank” to illustrate “making deposits into children’s
emotional banks” as a way of building positive relationships (Webster-Stratton, 1999).
Instead of a piggy bank, other metaphors might be a garden (growing) or basket
(filling). Ask participants to generate other possible metaphors. We make deposits
when we do things to build relationships while we make withdrawals when we engage
in behaviors that are detrimental to relationship building.
Recap some of the strategies observed in the video, emphasizing the power of play in
building positive relationships (e.g., talk about things children do at home or in other
settings during play, actively engage in children’s play, participate as a play partner, sit
at children’s level, joke and laugh with children, spend time with children doing what
they love to do).
Show Slides 23 and 24 of how adults can create relationships with children by
bridging home to school through the use of photos (Slide 23) and celebrating
important events in children’s lives (Slide 24).
B. Group Activity: Strategies for Building Relationships with Children, Families, and Colleagues
(Slide 25)
1. Have participants work with people at their table or select a partner, depending on the size
of the group. Give each group markers and chart paper.
2. Assign each group one of the following: (a) children, (b) families, or (c) colleagues.
3. The small groups should brainstorm a list of things they can do to build relationships with
children, families, or other colleagues.
4. Give participants about 10 minutes to complete this task.
5. Teams should report back to the large group with examples. Other participants can be
encouraged to add to the list.
6. After the groups have reported back, ask them to take 5 more minutes in their small group
to answer the following question: “What specific strategies might you use to build a
relationship with that one child, family, or colleague who is most challenging to you or who
most pushes your buttons?”
7. Have teams report back.
8. Included below are some examples of the types of things that you might highlight or use to
prompt participants to think more broadly about how to build relationships with children
(Slides 26 and 27 have some ideas for relationship building with children):
Pay attention to each individual child.
Joke and laugh with children.
Know what interests each child and talk to the child about that interest.
Respect each child’s approach to situations and people.
Talk to the child seriously when the topic is serious or important to the child.
Ask children to tell you what makes them happy and sad, and respect their feelings.
Show children that you are happy they are there.
Learn and remember personal information about children (e.g., best friend’s name,
pet’s name, type of pets, sibling, activities they do outside of school), and use this
information in your conversations with them.
Give children genuine choices, and assist them in following through with their
choices.
Show respect for children’s cultural, linguistic, and religious beliefs.
Listen to children when they speak to you, and respond appropriately to their
questions.
Spend time with children doing what they love to do.
Smile at children.
Respond to children consistently.
Slide 28 shows a mirror near the changing table—a way to build relationships with
children during diaper changing. Here are some ideas for building relationships with
families:
Keep lines of communication open between program and families (e.g., notes,
orientation, or phone calls).
Support and encourage parental involvement in activities.
Learn from family members about their children, and home and family life.
Share resources with parents about how to support the child’s social emotional
development.
Share positive things the child did at the program (e.g., Happy grams).
Conduct meetings with parents in an environment and time convenient for them.
Assure parents about confidentiality and privacy rights.
Implement activities that bring families together.
Show respect to parents by acknowledging the good things that they are doing with
their child.
Ask parents to share their unique resources with your program (e.g., talents,
access to other resources).
o Encourage teamwork
o Provide support
o Build trust among colleagues
o Be honest and kind to one another
o Respect co-workers’ talents and abilities
o Acknowledge accomplishments
o Understand and respect each other’s backgrounds
o Develop a shared vision, goals, and mission
o Have a sense of humor
o Build cooperation
C. Action Planning. Give each team another 10 minutes to pick one or two things that they are going
to do when they get back to their classroom to improve their relationships with all children or with a
particular child, family, or colleague, or things that they will do to help others improve their
relationships with the children, family, and colleagues.
1. Participants can use the Inventory of Practices and Action Planning Form to make notes
about changes they are going to make or facilitate in their job settings.
2. Encourage participants to consider resources or supports they might need to make these
changes.
3. If time allows, have one or two people share with the group what changes they are going to
make.
D. At this point, you should highlight the importance of play as a context for building relationships with
children. Explain that play gives the adult an opportunity to follow the child’s lead, comment on
what the child is doing, and build positive interactions.
1. Talk about how easy it is to spend most of our time giving directions and correcting
behavior, and point out that play provides a context for focusing on more positive behaviors
and interactions and promoting children’s social skills and emotional development.
Refer participants to Handout 1.5 (Building Positive Relationships with Young Children by Joseph &
Strain).
E. Show Slide 29. Explain that the next things you will be talking about are related to creating
supportive environments.
Although they may not be new concepts to people, explain that participants should be thinking
about these issues in terms of how they relate to preventing challenging behavior and promoting
social emotional development. Remember, you are looking at these through a different lens—the
social emotional competence and challenging behavior lens.
TIP: For some groups, this material will be a review of information they already know. If you know
your audience is highly skilled, consider presenting this in an alternative way. Rather than walking
through each slide, do an activity in which you encourage participants to think about how each
practice is related to promoting social behavior or preventing challenging behavior. Divide the
participants into small groups (four-six people). Assign each group a set of practices (e.g.,
designing learning centers, schedules, and routines). Have them discuss how those practices
support children’s social emotional development and prevent challenging behavior. Have them
identify practical examples of how they could implement these practices specifically to focus on
social behavior (e.g., to prevent challenging behavior during transitions, use a buddy system where
lessskilled peers are paired with highly skilled peers).
A. When we consider the design of the physical environment, we are trying to do two things: promote
engagement and prevent challenging behavior.
o We will talk about two sets of strategies related to the physical design of the environment:
traffic patterns and designing learning centers.
B. Show Slides 30 and 31. Review the following major issues about traffic patterns:
1. Minimize large open spaces in which children can run, etc.
2. Minimize obstacles.
3. Consider environmental arrangement as it applies to children with physical or sensory (e.g.,
blindness) disabilities.
Show photo slide of how footprints and “fence“ help organize the physical
environment.
C. Then talk about how a lot of strategies related to learning centers will increase the likelihood of
children being engaged and decrease the likelihood of challenging behaviors occurring. Talk about
two aspects of planning learning centers—the physical design and the actual content of the
materials and activities that occur in each center.
D. Show Slides 32 and 33. Review the following major issues about the physical design of learning
centers:
0. Have clear boundaries so that children know where the center begins/ends, and so that
children are not crowded together.
1. Make sure that all children are visible to adults and that adults are visible to children.
2. When learning centers are closed for some reason, indicate that the centers are closed by
using visual prompts such as sheets or blankets, circles with a slash through them, etc.
3. Have enough centers for the number of children in your care and enough materials within the
centers so that children are engaged and not continually arguing over materials.
4. Consider the size of centers and the location of centers. For example, it is best to avoid
having a center that is likely to have a high level of activity in it (e.g., block center, dramatic
play) located close to a center where the teacher wants quieter activities (e.g., listening
centers, computer, etc.) to occur.
5. Use developmentally appropriate and creative ways to limit the number of children in centers
if this is necessary (e.g., laminated cards containing children’s names that can be moved into
pockets at the center as opposed to a sign saying “2 children only”).
6. Organize materials and keep them in appropriate places, taking into consideration children’s
development of independence skills.
7. Have centers organized and ready to go when children arrive.
E. Show Slide 34: Creating Meaningful and Engaging Learning Areas. Learning centers need to be
meaningful, engaging, and interesting to children.
0. Materials within centers need to be meaningful and relevant to children’s needs, interests,
and lives (e.g., within the dramatic play area, materials that are culturally appropriate should
be available; the pictures on puzzles and in the classroom library should reflect the diversity
within your community, etc.). There should be culturally meaningful activities and materials
(e.g., within the typical water table, you can alternate materials that have a similar
consistency such as beans, rice, pasta, and potatoes). Also, consider using labels in multiple
languages around the classroom.
1. Centers need to be highly engaging and interesting to children. Build on children’s interests
by including materials and activities that children enjoy or express an interest in. If children
all tend to stay in one or two centers, that would suggest that the other centers are not
engaging or interesting to children.
2. Provide a variety of materials in each center. For example, related books can be put in every
center (e.g., books on animals can be placed in the reading center; magazines can be
placed in the dramatic play area that is designed as a veterinarian’s office; a book about the
post office can be placed in the writing center). Writing utensils and paper also can be in a
variety of centers (e.g., in the dramatic play area, the writing center, or near the computers).
Be creative.
3. Change the materials or themes in centers on a regular basis. The post office set up in the
dramatic play area might be interesting and engaging at the beginning of the year but will be
old and uninteresting if it is still there in the spring. Listen to what children are talking about.
Create centers that build on their interests. Rotate materials within a center so that the same
materials are not out all year. Let children help you choose the materials.
o Show Slide 35 of two writing centers.
o Discuss the strengths and concerns of each center arrangement. Do you imagine
children selecting one center versus another—why?
o If you had a writing center in your classroom, how would you design it given what we
have talked about so far?
o Show Slide 36—group discussion of how this circle area could be improved.
o Show Slide 37—group discussion of this circle time arrangement.
F. Show Slide 38: Classroom Arrangement and Design Activity
0. With a partner, sketch a classroom or other environment/setting.
1. Redraw the environment, and then share major changes with other participants at the table.
2. Ask the participants to think of one child who has significant challenging behavior. What
might need to be done to the environment to support that child?
3. For additional ideas, refer participants to the Inventory of Practices.
Group Activity: As a large group, read Slides 49-53 and discuss solutions for each vignette.
C. Show Slide 54. Another issue that is closely related to schedules and routines is transition.
Challenging behaviors often occur during transitions, especially when all children are expected to
do the same thing at the same time and then end up waiting with nothing to do. We know from
research that children often spend a significant proportion of their preschool day making transitions
between activities. So, our goal should be to:
1. Minimize the number of transitions that children have during the day.
2. Plan transitions so that there is a minimal amount of time spent in transition and that children
are highly engaged during the transition.
3. Give children a warning before a transition occurs.
4. Minimize those transitions during which every child has to do the same thing at the same
time (Does every child have to go to the bathroom at the same time? Could snack be part of
center time?). Structure the transition so that children have something to do while they are
waiting (e.g., finger plays, songs, guessing games). Provide some children with chores, and
give children helping roles during transitions (e.g., handing out the paper towels, holding the
door, helping a friend).
5. Teach children about the expectations for transitions. This instruction can occur during a
group time and should be reinforced throughout the day.
Show Video Clip 1.2 of Transitions to Centers (Slide 55). Discuss what was observed. 6.
Individualize the instruction and cues provided to children.
6. Some children will make the transition with a minimal amount of support, while others may
need a picture schedule, verbal prompt, adult assistance, or some other type of cue.
Show Video Clip 1.3 of Providing Individualized Transition Cues to Gabby (Slide 56). Discuss what was
observed. What did the teacher do to assist Gabby in changing locations? What other strategies can you
use to assist students like Gabby in changing locations?
D. It is important to provide visual cues and reminders for young children—especially young children
with special needs and children for whom English is their second language. Visual cues and
reminders are useful to help children learn the routines of the classroom, to help them learn the
expectations or “classroom rules,” to help children anticipate making transitions between activities,
and to assist children in knowing what to do during these transitions.
E. As adults, we use visual cues constantly. For example, (1) we look at our watches or the clock to
see when a boring meeting will end or when it is time for lunch; (2) when we go into a new building,
we look at signs to find places we need to go such as the elevator, restroom, or location of a
conference room; and (3) when we go to vote, we look at the visual directions provided to see how
to use the voting machine (and we pray that it will work!).
F. Show Slides 57-61. Show multiple examples of visual reminders for transitions (e.g., preparing
Brendan using a timer; transitions with visuals, choices, and necklaces).
o You can also bring examples of actual posters, signs, etc., that teachers use in their
classrooms.
o Ask participants for suggestions of visual supports or reminders that they have used in their
own setting.
Show Slides 62-64; highlighting how important it is to teach children the expectations for
transitions.
A. Large Group Activities. One of the common problems that teachers have is challenging behavior
during large group activities. It is difficult to keep all children interested throughout circle time. Give
participants some suggestions about how they can increase the likelihood that all children will be
engaged (Slide 65). This can be talked about in two parts.
1. Planning the activity
a. Consider the length of time needed for circle time relative to the children’s ages and
abilities and to the types of activities that will occur during the large group time.
b. Have a purpose and be clear about what it is you want children to learn during this
time.
c. Don’t do exactly the same thing every day. For example, you can teach concepts
during large group in a variety of ways (e.g., puppets, role play, stories, songs, visual
aids, discussion). Vary these activities from day to day. You might also do repeated
reading of the same story for several days but use puppets on the first day, a flannel
board on the second day, and have children role play the story on the third day.
d. Don’t just do circle to do circle, but use it as a time to teach new concepts. This is an
especially good time to teach social skills and to support children’s emotional
development. Explain that we will be talking about this point later.
2. Implementing the activity
a. Make sure all children have opportunities to be involved (e.g., everyone holds a
character from the story, children do things with partners).
b. Assign jobs for children who have a particularly difficult time during circle (e.g., book
holder, page turner).
c. Vary the way you talk and the intonation of your voice.
d. Have children help lead activities.
e. Pay attention to children’s appropriate behavior, as well as the function of their
behavior; remember that if they are wiggling and wandering away, the activity is
probably not interesting to them.
B. Show Slide 66: Activity. Show two video segments of Circle Time (Video Clip 1.4).
1. Have participants discuss with other participants at their table the following questions after
they watch the videotaped segments (Slide 67). Are the children engaged? What tells you
that they are or are not engaged? Describe what the teacher is doing currently and what she
might do to support the children’s engagement in the activity. What other strategies could the
teacher do to keep the children even more engaged in either video clip?
2. Point out things such as the teacher sitting in a chair “above” the children rather than on their
level, no props (e.g., photos, manipulatives, etc.) are used that could help engage children,
etc.
C. Show Slide 68: Small Group Activities. Discuss the importance of using small group activities both
in terms of giving more individualized time to children and as an opportunity for skill building. Then
talk about how to implement small group activities effectively.
1. Talk about being clear about the purpose and outcomes of the activity. What is it you want
children to learn, and are you structuring the activity so that it meets the needs of all of the
children involved? Although small group activities are often more teacher directed, they do
not have to be didactic. They can involve games, stories, discussion, projects, etc.
2. Small groups also provide a great opportunity to use peers as models. One peer can model
a skill or behavior you are trying to teach another child.
3. It is important to ensure that all children participate in a way that is meaningful and relevant
to their goals and needs.
4. Provide descriptive feedback related to appropriate behavior to children throughout the
activity.
D. Show Slide 69: Schedule/Routines/Transition Activity. If time allows, try to implement this activity
as a way to reinforce the main concepts learned to this point.
1. Have each table write on a piece of chart paper a schedule for a preschool classroom (a
schedule from one of the participant’s classrooms or program).
2. Then have all participants discuss what changes might need to be made in the schedule to
either increase engagement or prevent challenging behaviors of all children. Have them also
think about specific adaptations that might be needed for the children with the most
challenging behavior.
3. Encourage them to consider the following questions: (1) Are there too many large group
activities? (2) Is there a balance of large and small group activities? (3) Are there too many
transitions? (4) Could some transitions be eliminated or the length decreased? (5) Could
there be fewer whole group transitions? (6) Is the length of activities appropriate (neither too
long nor too short)?
4. Brainstorm ideas for change. Encourage participants to complete the Action Plan (Inventory
of Practices) related to strategies that they might focus on when they get back to their
programs.
5. If time permits, have a few people share their ideas for change with the large group.
1. Make sure you have the child’s attention before you give the direction. Many times, the child may
not even hear the direction or realize the direction is being given to him. The teacher can begin a
direction to the whole class by saying, “I need everyone to listen” or the teacher can begin a
direction to an individual child by tapping him on the shoulder or saying his name.
2. Minimize the number of directions given to children. Research shows that teachers give a very high
number of directions to children, many of which teachers they do not follow through with. It is
important to give only directions that you want the child to comply with, give directions in a positive
way that tells the child specifically what to do, and give the child time to respond before giving
another direction. Also, it is important to follow through if the child does not follow the direction.
3. Individualize the way directions are given. Some children may respond well to verbal direction,
while others may need physical prompts or pictorial prompts to follow the direction.
4. Give clear directions. Tell the child exactly what you want her to do. Avoid directions that are vague
such as “be careful” or “settle down.” These directions could be substituted with “hold on to the
railing” or “sit quietly.”
5. Show Slide 71. Give directions that are positive. Maintain a positive tone when you give directions.
6. Give children the opportunity to respond to a direction. Avoid giving multiple directions at one time
without giving the child a chance to respond and without acknowledging the child for responding.
7. When appropriate, give the child choices and options for following directions. Sometimes it is
important that children follow a direction in a specific way; but other times, it is ok to give the child
some options. For example, during a transition time, the teacher might say “you need to sit quietly,
you can get either a book or you can draw a picture.”
8. Follow through with positive acknowledgment of children’s behavior. It is important that children
understand when they are following directions.
Introduce this segment by telling participants that the segment shows a group activity in which children
were beginning to learn the classroom rules or expectations. After viewing the segment, ask participants if
the rules were stated positively and are developmentally appropriate; (Did they meet the guidelines just
discussed? What are the strengths of this group activity? How might you adapt an activity like this for your
particular needs? How does this activity help children learn rules? What other materials can you use?
How can you modify this activity to support students with disabilities? Second-language learners?)
1. Have small groups work to develop a list of three to five rules for their setting.
2. If they have rules already, have them list them and check them against the criteria.
3. Ask participants to brainstorm some fun ways they can remind and reinforce the rules in
the setting. List these on flip chart paper.
4. Present additional ideas to reinforce classroom rules (Slide 80).
a. Rules Bingo: Put symbols of rules on bingo cards and have children play bingo.
b. Big Book of School Rules: Using large pieces of paper, children can help make
pictures and pages about each rule, laminate the pages, and turn the pages into a
big book.
c. Home Rules: Children draw a picture of their home and take it home with them with
some blank circles. Children and parents write their home rules on the circles, tape
them to the picture of their home, and send it back to school.
d. Rules Charades: Have a child model a rule, and have the other children guess what
rule they are modeling. Slide 81.
5. Introduce the video by telling participants that this segment shows a larger group
activity in which children are demonstrating the classroom rules. As you watch it,
consider: How did this teacher involve the children in learning the classroom rules?
What are some strengths of this activity? Ideas for adapting it? How would you set
up this activity in the classroom? How can you enhance this activity? What other
materials can you use? How can you modify this activity to support students with
disabilities? Secondlanguage learners?
Provide feedback for the effort, thinking, and problem solving (e.g., What a great idea!
Brilliant thinking in figuring that out!) versus emphasizing quality of work (e.g., You did a
dynamite job in coloring that entire picture!). Balance positive feedback and encouragement
with engaging children in authentic conversations. You do not want to engage in a
monologue of continual feedback.
2. Adults need to monitor their own behavior to make sure they are spending more time using
positive, descriptive language and less time giving directions or correcting inappropriate
behavior.
B. Show Slide 84: Activity.
1. Use the handout (Positive Attention Handout 1.6) for this activity. Watch Video Clip 1.7
Slide 85. (Positive Attention) of large group activity, and count the number of times the
teacher says positive things or uses positive nonverbal behaviors such as high fives, pats on
the back, and handshakes.
a. Participants should be encouraged to jot down specific things that the teacher says or
does (verbal and nonverbal).
b. After watching the video, engage participants in a large group discussion regarding
what behaviors they saw and heard the teacher use. Have participants discuss
different ways they can provide positive attention.
c. Occasionally participants will remark that they would not do this activity because they
do not have snow in their geographic location. Prompt them to consider if they would
not teach about farm animals in an urban school, about oceans in the Midwest, etc.
2. Continue the discussion by asking participants for suggestions on how to keep teachers
focused on the positive throughout the day. Examples might include having visual cues
posted in the room as reminders (e.g., smiley faces, key words that trigger you to remember
to acknowledge positive behavior).
3. Have participants return to their Action Plan and note ways they are going to help remind
themselves and other adults within their settings to provide attention to children when they
are engaged in appropriate behavior. How can they “up the ratio of catching children being
good?”
Resources
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